Montrealers react to morning shooting in Côte-des-Neiges borough

Mohamed Lamine Benredouane was killed in the line of duty during a Montreal shooting on Monday.

The 34-year-old joined the SPVM in 2021, and his passing is a great loss for the police force. His sense of duty, dedication, and professionalism will forever be remembered, they added.

The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs confirmed that Michael (Michel) Moshe Mizrahi was the civilian killed. In a social media post, they wrote that he was a beloved member of Montreal’s Jewish community and an innocent victim of today’s events.

People were finally allowed back outside around 3:30 Monday afternoon, after having to shelter in place. A shooting in Montreal left three people dead, including a police officer and civilian, and sparked a major police operation in Côte-des-Neiges.

Residents describe a situation that was difficult to comprehend as it unfolded.

“Pretty rough. Very disturbed because of what happened here,” said one Montrealer. “You know and start off your day with the idea of helping people and then end up being dead It’s kind of scary.”

“Unfortunately, because there were police officers and civilians that were fatally shot, so anyone who comes into the neighborhood has to identify themselves to make sure that they live in the neighborhood before they’re allowed over the police tape line,” said Celia Natanblut.

The perimeter was set just one block away from a grocery store where customers were locked down on Monday.

“Almost three or four minutes after I walked in I was shoved into the back of the storage area and we were told to be very quiet that there was an active shooter in the area and that we needed to find a place to just hide,” said Robin Farber Steinberg.

“Following that incident, several videos were shared on social media. In them, you see police officers being shot and literally collapsing right before our eyes. I was a cop in Montreal. I just want to urge us not to become desensitized by this; these are human beings,” said Public Security Minister Ian Lafrenière.

“There’s an investigative aspect to this, but there’s also a human aspect. We mustn’t become desensitized to this. That’s why I’m asking people not to share these videos. The investigation will be conducted. We’ll get to the bottom of this. And that’s the focus right now.”

Flags have been lowered to half-mast at Montreal police headquarters in memory of officer Mohamed Lamine Benredouane.

“I’m sorry for the officer that’s down and anyone else that’s injured or deceased. It’s very unfortunate,” said Robin.